Undergrounding lines: cosmetic vs. critical

A petition signed by 75% of the property owners in Ortega Point and some blocks south of the Point will assess 100% of 122 parcels more than $20,000 each to convert overhead electric, telephone and cable television lines to underground utilities.

For some
property owners, the plan to move utility lines from the traditional pole to a
hole in the ground is welcomed for cosmetic reasons, that is, to enhance the
view, while others want it for safety reasons, citing downed power lines as
dangerous. “Undergrounding” to prevent power lines from falling and uprooting
trees during a hurricane has become a popular request within many communities.

However,
others feel undergrounding utilities is costly to undertake as well as costly
to repair. “When the power goes out, there are two obstacles that [utility]
faces before they can fix the line,” stated Ted Kury, the director of energy
studies at the University of Florida’s Public Utility Research Center, in an
article published shortly after Hurricane Irma swept through Florida. “One,
identification of the fault, and then two, access to the line.”

Gina Kyle,
JEA media manager, addressed the concern as well, stating “Although there are
benefits of placing utilities underground, such as less susceptible to power
outages caused by wind, falling trees or animals that might impact electric
lines and reliability, there are possible downsides, such as underground
utilities are more susceptible to flooding and may take longer to repair during
an outage as the problems are not readily visible.”

While access
to underground systems can be hindered by floodwaters that often follow
hurricane-force winds, after Irma there were more than 2,200 overhead line
outages in Jacksonville but only 12 for underground lines. But as Kury also
noted, neither overhead nor underground systems can protect power in every
situation.

In neighborhoods’ hands

JEA began
undergrounding new residential power lines nearly five decades ago, when city-county
government consolidation mandated it for new development. When it comes to
replacing existing overhead power lines, Jacksonville has around 3,000 miles of
them. In 2017 Scenic Jacksonville proposed a plan to underground about 3% of
the lines each year for the next 30 years, but currently the decision to convert
– and to pay for it – is up to the desire of neighborhoods. The proposed Ortega
Point North Utility Conversion project, which includes properties south of
Grand Avenue, was initiated by property owners within the Ortega Point neighborhood.

JEA’s
overhead to underground conversion program focuses on undergrounding overhead
electric, telephone, cable television, communication or other overhead
distribution line facilities located within the public rights of way in a
defined neighborhood boundary. The program also provides a means for
neighborhoods to finance the conversion of overhead utility lines to underground
systems through a special assessment process, enacted by City Council in 2007.

Earlier
this year, JEA staff met with residents of the Ortega Point community to
discuss a proposed project to convert the existing overhead utility service
underground; neighborhood block captains were assigned to relay information,
identify interested property owners and obtain signatures necessary to proceed
with the program.

According
to information supplied on the petition, about 60% of the identified parcels
lie north of Grand Avenue in the area known as Ortega Point. St. Mark’s
Episcopal Church and School, which has eight parcels, has also agreed to
participate in the project. Additionally, JEA has a lift station within the
project footprint and will contribute a pro-rata share for its facilities
outside the special assessment.

The $1,531,708
cost will initially be funded by the Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA), then
reimbursed to JEA by non-ad valorem assessments over a period of 20 years at
$1,075.22 per year. Additionally, property owners have the option of financing
the additional cost of connecting the undergrounded utilities from the right of
way to their property’s structure.

“Generally,
the telephone and cable companies convert all the way to the house or structure
as part of the project,” said Kyle. “For JEA electric utilities, the property
owner has the option to place their home’s private overhead utility lines
underground and can choose to finance this separate amount through the special
assessment. The individual property owner can hire a private electrician (costs
vary) to install an underground conduit from the home electric meter to a JEA
transformer at the street. Then, at no charge to the customer, JEA will pull
the underground cable in the electrician-installed conduit, make connections at
the transformer (or hand-hole) and customer’s meter to energize the service.”

Kyles said
property owners may elect to keep their overhead services from the house to the
street connected from a riser pole near the right of way.

After
meeting the goal of getting signatures from 75% of the property owners, the
City Council’s Research Division prepared a legislative summary and assigned 2019-376
as the bill number. It was introduced to City Council May 28; a public hearing was
held June 25, at which time the Council approved the ordinance to establish the
Neighborhood Assessment Program (NAP).

The project
would be scheduled to commence in 2019 and take about 18 months to complete,
according to JEA.

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